Safety
by 8ounce
Summary: Cat's struggling, and wondering if anyone notices. T for mentions of domestic violence. Please let me know what you think; I love getting reviews. Continuation of "Help".
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm trying something new; writing for Cat is a little difficult for me, because I'm trying to find a balance between her personality and what's actually happening. Please let me know if you have any suggestions as to how I can write her better.**

* * *

She heard it first rather than saw it. As a child, she had always known that her father was much bigger than her mother, but it took her father losing his job for Cat to find out exactly how much he was stronger than her. It was rough on the family, especially with her brother's condition, to support themselves, and her father's unemployment meant it would be even more difficult. She woke up in the middle of the night to hear sobs and whimpers coming from her parents' room, along with a low voice underscoring everything. Her father had taken to coming home very late and very drunk, and Cat had decided to ignore it. Everybody needed stress relief, right? She had gasped when she peeked through the opening of the door, and threw herself on top of her mother.

"Daddy, no!" She had cried, as the blows rained down on her instead. And it was in that moment that Cat Valentine, at ten years old, replaced her mother as her father's own, personal punching bag. She understood, really, why her mother never tried to stop him. It would bring Cat great relief, too, if someone decided to step in and take the beatings for _her_. So she took it, reminding herself every night when she hobbled gingerly into the bathroom that her mother was safe. Daddy wouldn't hurt her.

* * *

It wasn't as if anybody noticed the redhead's life had changed drastically. She had always been thought of as a daydreamer, and her personality hadn't changed. Flashbacks were written off as zone-outs and nobody questioned when she had to leave at the drop of a hat. At eleven, she realized she needed to be meticulous with her makeup and her dress, and make sure every inch of bruising was covered up before she stepped out of her house in the morning. And so, Cat made it through six years of her life. She had never needed to hide anything except for the bruises, and so she didn't feel inclined to change her personality when Tori Vega arrived sophomore year. It didn't escape her notice though, that Tori's personality was never as it seemed, that Tori felt the need to hide things from everyone. So when she and Jade hit it off and Tori moved in with her, Cat was confused at the hollow feeling that settled in her chest.

"Jade?" Cat had asked, one afternoon after running into the girl at her locker.

"What?" The girl had snapped, in usual fashion. Cat took a deep breath, and frowned.

"Do you still have time for me?" It was a question filled with vulnerability. Cat knew Jade's answer would hurt her either way, but needed to know.

"Why?" Jade had whirled around, intense gaze meeting the redhead's. Cat looked away, cowering.

"It's just, you spend a lot of time with Tori now. I just wanted to know if we're still friends."

"Of course we are." Jade scoffed, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"We are? Oh yay!" Cat had smiled happily, as usual, and skipped off to her next class. It was a relief to know she hadn't misplaced her trust in yet another person she loved. And that was the thought that kept her going for the next half a year. It was near the start of September, though, when Jade started getting concerned. Nobody had heard from Cat in weeks, and when school started, Cat had been missing for first couple of weeks.

"Anybody seen Cat recently?" Jade had asked, in Sikowitz's class one afternoon, and everybody had murmured quietly, shaking their heads. Tori had frowned quietly in a corner, and had vowed to visit Cat after school. She had put together that Cat flinched when guys touched her, and that she was jumpy. Much jumpier than usual. _She might have been raped._ Tori had thought to herself.

* * *

So it was out of concern for her friend that she found herself in front of the Valentines' door, knocking repeatedly. She heard shuffling inside, and paused for a moment.

"Come on, Cat. I know you're in there, just open the door! I need to talk to you!" Tori called, adjusting her bag over her shoulder. Someone made their way to the door. "Oh, Mrs. Valentine, I didn't mean to disturb you. I'm just looking for Cat." Tori apologized, as the door swung open to reveal Cat's mother.

"That's quite alright." The older woman smiled gently. "Cat's not here."

"Well, do you know where she is?" Tori inquired softly. "I need to talk to her."

"I'm afraid I don't know." A loud crash rang out in the background. "I'm sorry, I need to go." The woman winced and shook her head, shutting the door firmly and racing towards the commotion. Tori frowned, and decided to walk around the neighbourhood to see if she could find Cat. Somehow, she ended up at the beach, where a familiar shade of red caught her eye. Taking a breath to steady herself, she made her way over to the driftwood where the girl was seated.

"Hey, Cat." The redhead looked up, eyes red and puffy. "May I?" Tori gestured at the log. Cat nodded silently. They sat quietly for a while, before Tori spoke.

"I know something's wrong." She ventured, clasping her hands in her lap and not looking at the other girl. "And you don't have to tell me what it is, but at least tell me you're okay." Tori looked down at the sand between her toes when she heard a soft gasp from the girl beside her.

"I'm not." Cat said bluntly and quietly, digging her feet into the warm sand. Tori's head snapped up to look at her, concerned. Silence took over again, and Cat looked out at the ocean. "I broke my arm."

"What happened?" Tori peered at the petite girl, searching for answers. There was a long silence before Cat spoke again.

"My dad hit me too hard." Cat got out, matter-of-fact, as if it wasn't the first time. Tori blinked and nodded, suddenly understanding.

"I see." She murmured, fidgeting with a ring on her finger. There was silence again, both girls listening to the lapping waves. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't know." Cat murmured, rubbing a hand gently over her arm. Tori noticed.

"Is that where…?" She asked, tracing a warm thumb softly over the redhead's skin. Cat nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I do. All the time. You guys just never really listen to me, you know? I guess everyone's kinda used to it by now." Cat shrugged, finally looking at Tori.

"I'm sorry." Tori breathed. "I didn't know."

"You couldn't have." Cat said simply, lifting a bottle of water to her lips. She swallowed, and then looked at Tori. "I hated you, when you got here. Cause I never pretended, but you did. And Jade noticed you." She said, without any heat. "I'm sorry." Tori shook her head and placed an arm around the girl.

"You don't have to be." She whispered as Cat cried. "I'm sorry for not noticing."


	2. Chapter 2

It was the little things, that Tori started noticing after having talked to Cat. For instance, certain jabs from the meaner kids would make Cat flinch, and certain phrases would make her more upset than others. Every week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, instead of eating with their friends, Cat and Tori would go to the beach and talk, and Cat unloaded whatever she had carried on her shoulders for the entire weekend on those days, while Tori would sit at her feet and listen, often while crunching through a salad or chewing through a sandwich, or wrapping arms around her when she cried. The singer became more protective of the redhead, becoming more observant of the things that upset her and telling people off for it. One day, though, the half-Latina noticed that one girl was picking on Cat repeatedly.

"Hey, Ashley! Pick on someone your own size." Tori frowned, striding towards the two girls. The blonde turned around to level the singer with an acrid glare.

"Fuck off, Vega. This has nothing to do with you." She snarled.

"Actually, it does. Because I happen to like Cat." Tori shoved at the actor's shoulder, the momentum throwing her against the locker.

"You bitch." Ashley sneered, slapping her across the face. Tori paused, holding her face, before grabbing the girl's shoulders and turning her around, shoving her towards a classroom.

"Get to class, blondie." The singer growled, picking up her bag. "Cat, are you – Cat?" When she turned around, the redhead had disappeared. Shrugging, Tori made her way towards the bathroom. As she opened the door, she heard sobbing. "Cat?" The redhead was leaning over a sink, hands over her face. She gasped as she saw Tori, backing away slowly. "Cat, what's wrong?"

"Don't…" Cat looked petrified, still backing away. That's when it hit her. Cat had seen the skirmish in the hallway and the slap.

"Cat, I'm not gonna hurt you. It's me, Tori. I'm your friend." The singer held out her hands, palms facing her, not moving any closer. The redhead blinked a couple of times, before she raised her hands to cover her mouth and tears streamed down her face.

"Tori." She sobbed, throwing herself into the half-Latina's arms. Tori wrapped her arms tightly around the girl and stroked her back gently.

"Shhh…it's okay. Nothing's gonna hurt you. Don't worry." She murmured quietly, comforting the girl.

"I'm sorry, Tori." She wailed, tears soaking through the singer's hoodie.

"No, it's okay. It's not your fault, Cat. I got you."

* * *

"Okay, spill Tor. What's the deal with Cat? I know you know, so tell me before I do something truly terrible." Jade was finishing up her assignment in their room that night, while Tori lay on her stomach, flicking through Twitter on the bed.

"Ooh, new album from the Foo Fighters soon!" Tori squealed, purposefully ignoring Jade. The pale girl rolled her eyes, throwing down her pen.

"Tor!" She turned to face the singer. The half-Latina looked up reluctantly.

"What?"

"Tell me!" Jade crossed her arms expectantly.

"I just feel like maybe you should ask her yourself." Tori sighed, rolling onto her back. "If I were her, I wouldn't want me telling anybody either." Jade huffed and dropped into an armchair in the corner.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. There was a long silence, both girls occupied with their phones.

"Jade?" Tori looked up suddenly.

"What?" The girl replied irritably. The singer chewed on her lip thoughtfully.

"Be nice to her, okay? When you ask…" Tori said cautiously, before going back to her phone.

"I'm not dumb, Vega." Jade rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Hey..." The singer warned, giving her a glare.

"Fine…no Vega at home…" Jade acquiesced reluctantly, slouching in her chair.

* * *

Tori had just unlocked her locker to heft her books into it when a blur grabbed her wrist and yanked her forcefully into the supply closet.

"Jesus, Jade!" The singer spat, rubbing her reddened arm and glaring at the Goth. "What the fuck is your problem?" Tori peered out of the closet. "My books are all over the floor!" She whirled around and shoved at the raven-haired girl.

"I can't do it." Jade muttered, pacing in the enclosed space. "Every time I want to ask her, I see her stupid puppy dog eyes in my head!" She growled, throwing her bag onto the floor in disgust.

"Look, I can't do this right now. My locker is wide open and my shit is all over the fucking floor. Can't you give me a warning?" Tori hissed, yanking the door open and running over to shove things hastily into her locker. Suddenly, the Goth appeared beside her. "STOP IT!" Tori screamed, jumping.

"I'm sorry." Jade muttered, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "I'm just…concerned, you know?" She fidgeted with her rings and looked at her boots. Tori slammed her locker and fell against it, rubbing two hands over her tired face.

"Yes. Okay. Fine. But _you_ still have to ask her. I'm not doing anything for you." Tori shook her head, slinging her bag over her shoulder and heading over to get some lunch.

"I'm not asking you to." Tori quirked an eyebrow. "I'm serious!" Jade whined, stomping a foot.

"What, then?" The half-Latina, half-Irish spun and crossed her arms, amused.

"Fuck, I hate you." The pale girl muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" The lighter brunette cupped her hand dramatically over her ear and leaned in.

"_Nothing._" Jade said emphatically. "Just…will you be there when I ask her?"

"Why? If anything, she'll think that I told you and you're covering up." Tori frowned, before turning to buy a salad.

"Moral support." Jade mumbled under her breath. Tori took a sip of water to cover up her grin.

"What was that, Jade?" The singer asked, leaning in, after composing herself.

"You heard me." The Goth glared, crossing her arms. Tori adopted a perplexed expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She blinked confusedly, tilting her head.

"FINE! I said, I need moral support!" The inky-locked girl threw her hands into the air, rolling her eyes. "Are you happy?"

"Extremely." The singer grinned slyly. "Now, was that so hard?"

"Fuck you." Jade breathed, pushing her hair back with her middle finger.

* * *

"Cat?" Jade's voice wavered, and she cursed herself mentally for showing her nerves. The Goth stood, fidgeting, beside the table at which the redhead was seated. The other girl looked up from her pizza, a piece of pepperoni halfway to her mouth.

"Whatti?" The bubbly girl blinked rapidly, lowering the pepperoni. "Hug?" She held out her arms in front of her.

"No." Jade snapped, then buried her face in her hands when Cat flinched. "Sorry." She said curtly, before haphazardly pushing her hand through her hair.

"Jade, are you okay?" Cat stood nervously. "Did I sleep-tweet something embarrassing about you again?" The Goth sighed, and then shook her head. "What? Jade!" The redhead shook her roughly, as Tori took a seat and pulled out her salad, unobtrusively crunching away.

"Cat, what's going on?" Jade finally got out, before wincing at her bluntness.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The bubbly redhead put her hands on her hips. Jade rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong? You missed a couple of days of school, and now Tori's acting all sec –"

"—leave me out of this, Jade." Tori interrupted, around a mouthful of salad. Jade huffed, then pulled Cat to sit down at the table.

"Look, it wasn't Tori. I just…I thought it was strange when you asked me if you were important to me, and you missed a lot of school at the beginning of the year. I've been thinking about it a lot. Is it your brother?" Jade leaned towards Cat concernedly. The other girl's eyes flickered to Tori's worriedly. The singer gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"This wouldn't be so hard if you guys would just _listen_ to me every now and again!" The redhead said, exasperated.

"What?" Jade frowned thoughtfully. "Wait, all that stuff is _true_?" She asked, eyes wide.

"Mmhm." Cat nodded, returning to her pepperoni. The Goth grabbed her hand.

"Wait, you can't just say that shit and expect me to _ignore_ it!" She stressed, gripping the redhead's hand.

"Ow! Jade! Why not? You ignore it all the time anyway." Cat shrugged, chewing her pepperoni. Jade looked at Tori helplessly.

"It's true." The singer said with a sheepish expression.

"Not helping!" The Goth hissed. Suddenly, realization dawned on the girl. "Is that why you and Tori are always missing at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays?"

"Yup! Tori lets me talk to her and she listens." Cat smiled at the singer before picking another pepperoni off her pizza.

"Well, what can I do?" Jade's eyebrows furrowed.

"Nothing! You're scary!" The redhead grinned, placing another slice of pepperoni in her mouth. Jade turned to look at Tori.

"Hey, don't look at me…I'm not the one you're trying to help." Tori raised her hands in surrender before taking a sip of water.

"I want to help…" The Goth pleaded with the redhead.

"But you don't need to." She shrugged, ripping off a piece of the crust and giving the Goth a reassuring smile. "Here, have some pizza. Bye!" She picked up her bag and walked away, leaving Jade with a slice of half-eaten pizza and a sick feeling in her gut.


	3. Chapter 3

**Don't hesitate to leave me comments! I'd love to hear from you.**

* * *

"I want to help her!" Jade hissed, pacing back and forth in the bedroom. It was a familiar scene in the room. A week had passed since she'd talked to the redhead about helping, and she still didn't know what to do.

"You can't help her if she won't let you." Tori gave back, bored. "Can we stop having this conversation over and over again? It's driving me nuts." The singer couldn't even muster up the enthusiasm to yell anymore.

"I'm looking out for her, but it doesn't seem like it's enough!" The singer rolled her eyes at the theatrics, before sighing. The conversation was never going to end.

"What're you gonna do next? Beat up her dad?" Tori drawled, the lack of enthusiasm dragging through the syllables.

"Maybe I should." The pale girl mumbled through her hands, currently pressed against her face. She fell into a chair and booted up her computer. "Homework is such a waste of time. I could be killing daddy." Jade mumbled, before looking down at her work.

"Should've done it earlier, like I did." Tori smirked, rolling over to reach for her phone as it buzzed.

"Whatever." Slowly, Tori's smirk slid off her face and in its place was a look of fear.

"I…need to get some water. I'll be right back." With that, the singer flounced down the stairs.

"Again, whatever."

* * *

"Cat?" Tori whispered, slipping out the front door. The tiny redhead sat, shivering, on the porch steps. The left side of her swollen face was mottled with bruises and she was clutching at her side, wheezing. Her t-shirt was ripped, and she wasn't wearing any shoes. The singer crouched in front of her, before draping her hoodie gently around the girl's shoulders, and slipping Cat's feet into a pair of shoes she had snatched from the front closet. The redhead tipped her head gently forward onto Tori's shoulder as she started to cry, whimpering in pain. "I need to call Jade. We need to take you to the hospital." Tori said gently, taking out her phone.

"No, don'." The redhead slurred, her words swirling together. "Don' wan' her to see me like this."

"Cat, you don't have a choice. It looks like your wrist is broken, your face is swollen and you might have a concussion. You might have some broken ribs, too." Tori peered at the girl, worried.

"You take me." Cat mumbled, almost unintelligibly.

"I can't. I don't have a driver's license, remember?" The singer spoke gently, calmly, careful to not alarm the girl. The redhead sat for a while, then sighed.

"Fine."

* * *

"She seems to have a concussion, so I'm gonna have to keep her here for a couple of days; just for observation. She's got a hairline fracture in her right wrist, and two broken ribs. There was some haemorrhaging in her abdomen, but nothing serious, so we've just put her on fluids to make sure her blood pressure doesn't drop too low. Other than that, we've iced her face since it seems that her jaw is bruised, and I'm gonna be honest with you; should I be calling the police?" The doctor looked up from his clipboard, surveying the two teenage girls in front of him. It was Tori who spoke first.

"Look, why don't you page Dr. Daniels from the psychiatric department and get her down here, she'll do an evaluation of Cat and then we'll decide whether or not she needs to call the police, okay?" The singer reassured the medical practitioner. He nodded, before heading to reception.

"You two can go in a visit her now. I'd be careful. She seems a little jumpy." The doctor added, before he left.

* * *

"Hey." Jade murmured, as she sat down beside the bed. Tori had gone to speak with Dr. Daniels outside for a moment. "I'm sorry we didn't think to get you out of there before this." The Goth gently slipped a hand into the redhead's.

"S'okay, Jade. You didn't know." Cat turned her head gingerly to look at Jade. There was a seriousness in her eyes that wasn't usually there. It pierced through the Goth like a needle, and for a moment the fear that Cat's innocence was gone burned viciously in her chest.

"No, it's not. You were in a dangerous situation. We should've gotten you out ASAP." Jade shook her head, looking helplessly at the purple that had blossomed against the other girl's skin.

"What's that mean? As soon as pickles?" The redhead frowned, confused. There was a moment of silence, before Jade started chuckling. There was apparently no need to worry about Cat's innocence.

"No. As soon as possible, Cat." The Goth smiled as she handed her a cup of water. "Thirsty?"

"Mmhm. How did you know? Best friend ever." Cat shuffled up into a sitting position gingerly, before accepting the cup in her left hand and sipping from it slowly.

"You know, I can't tell if you're on pain meds or if you're just being your normal self." Tori chuckled, striding to Cat's bedside. "How're you feeling?" She asked gently, peering at the redhead.

"Um…the painkillers are great." Cat smiled dreamily, before handing the cup back to Jade. The two girls chuckled.

"I'm sure they are." Jade smiled sadly, looking at the petite girl's bruised face.

"Don't be sad, Jade." The small girl placed a hand gently on her friend's arm. "I'll be out of here in no time and then we can hang out, even though you don't like to hang out."

"We'll definitely hang out." The Goth mustered up a smirk. "Love you, baby girl."

"Love you more." Cat grinned, and they touched rings. When the two girls got up to leave, the redhead cleared her throat. "Hold on, Tori. Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." Tori looked at Jade.

"Yeah, I'll be right outside." The Goth smiled and let herself out. Tori approached the bed, a puzzled look on her face.

"What's up?" The singer sat down beside the bed. After a long silence, Cat finally spoke.

"I don't wanna go back anymore, Tor." She whispered harshly, her eyes welling with tears. Tori placed a hand soothingly on her arm. She thought for a moment, then replied.

"Look. I talked to my psychiatrist, and she's gonna come down and talk to you tomorrow. If you want, Jade and I can be here with you; we both know her really well. And then we can talk about that. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything yet, but I don't have all the answers and I still have some questions, myself." The singer spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. "One thing that's for sure is that either Jade and I can stay with you though, if you don't want to spend the night alone here. And we both love you like crazy. So if there's anything you need, we'll get it for you." Tori reassured, slipping her hand into the other girl's. "Except for bibble." She grinned, then sobered up. "But always remember that none of this is your fault, Cat. None of it." At that, the redhead filled with tears again. After hastily wiping them away, she spoke.

"Do you think you can ask Jade to stay with me tonight?" Cat mumbled, wiping away a stray tear. Tori smiled.

"Of course. I think she would love to." The half-Latina squeezed Cat's hand gently and got up. "I'll go get her." With that, the singer made her way to the door.

"Tor?" The weak voice called out, and Tori turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." The singer smiled.

"No thanks needed, Cat. Just doing our jobs looking out for you."


	4. Chapter 4

Jade didn't mind staying with Cat; it made her happy the girl had asked for her, and so she sat with the little redhead through the rest of the exams and tests that night. She had always been a light sleeper; she had been lightly dozing off around midnight, when she heard mumbling. Her eyes snapped open and flicked over to the smaller girl, quickly assessing her for damage. What she saw was the redhead thrashing left and right, brow furrowed.

"NO!" She screamed, and Jade jumped in her seat, shocked into motion. Quickly, she leapt onto the bed, kneeling beside the wriggling body and grasping Cat's forearms, shaking her gently.

"C'mon, Cat. Wake up. It's just a dream. You're in a hospital with me. It's Jade. C'mon, baby girl, just open your eyes for me. Cat, just open your eyes. It's just a dream." Jade yelled over the screaming, wondering if she should call for a nurse. Right when she decided to reach for the call button, the redhead's eyes flew open. She blinked a couple of times, taking in her surroundings, and Jade sighed in relief, dropping the plastic module in her hand and collapsing back into her chair. After a minute, the initial shock and disorientation wore off, and Cat burst into tears. When the other girl sat up, concerned, the redhead waved her off.

"I..I j-just need a m-m..m-minute…" She sobbed, hysterical. Disregarding her plea for personal space, Jade hopped onto the bed, seating herself next to the crying girl. She pulled Cat into her arms, and the redhead cried into her neck.

"It's okay. You're safe now. He's not gonna come after you. We'll make damn sure of it." The taller girl soothed, rubbing her back reassuringly. She held the girl until she cried herself to sleep, exhausted. Tucking her in, she gingerly eased off the bed, careful not to disturb the slumbering redhead and grabbed her buzzing phone, slipping from the room. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me. How is she?" Tori's concerned voice filtered through the speaker. Jade sighed, and dragged her fingers through her hair carelessly. "That bad, huh?"

"I mean, she's not doing too badly. I'm sure nightmares are normal. I just hate seeing her like this, you know?" Jade mumbled, shaking her head.

"You okay?" The singer asked gently.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay with a couple of hours of sleep at a time." The Goth replied distractedly.

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh." Jade blinked, surprised. "Yeah. I'm okay. It's just not easy to hear her screaming sometimes."

"So you're okay to stay the night?" Tori confirmed through the phone.

"Yeah. I might need to talk to someone afterwards, but I'll be fine tonight." The Goth sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Talk to me." The singer prompted patiently.

"I don't know, Tor. It's just…I feel really bad not having noticed before, you know?" She burst out, frustrated. There was a short silence, before the half-Latina spoke again.

"I think that you said that to yourself when I was in the hospital, too." Tori finally said, sighing. "I also don't think you owe anybody anything. You keep saying that you should be doing more, but I think the fact that Cat asked for you shows that she needs you, and that she thinks you're doing a good job doing whatever it is you do."

"You think?"

"Yeah, I do. Don't beat yourself up, Jade. It's not worth it. Besides, we've both been on a good path for a couple of weeks, it'll be nice to keep it up, right?" The singer offered.

"I was so down last week." Jade sighed, unconsciously tracing a thumb along the healing cuts on her arm.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is now, and that little redheaded girl inside the hospital room who thinks you're the bomb. And you are." Tori refuted strongly. "You're the best person I know, Jade. For real."

"Thanks, Tor. I'm gonna go back in." Jade smiled. "See you tomorrow morning."

"See ya." As the singer hung up, the Goth sighed and slumped against the wall. Fear crept its way onto her chest, sitting heavily on it. The uncertainty of what lay behind the door to the hospital room introduced anxiety gradually, and Jade found herself doubled over, gasping for air. Sadness gripped her as she sat, alone, in the hallway, silent tears travelling down her face.

* * *

"Jade?" Her hoarse voice echoed in the empty room, as the redhead slowly awoke, blinking lethargically and fumbling beside her for water. As she struggled to sit up, she realized that the Goth had left, and loneliness grabbed at her. Just as she wanted to close her eyes and pretend the day never happened, Tori slipped into the room and quietly sat down beside the redhead.

"Hey. How're you feeling?" She asked softly, dropping her school bag onto the ground. It was noon, and Tori had left campus to visit the redhead, having checked in before school earlier that morning. The singer reached over to help Cat sit up, adjusting her pillows.

"Not…great." The redhead cleared her throat and winced, drinking some water. "Where's Jade?"

"Oh, she's…well she hasn't been feeling so hot, so she's getting lunch." Tori glossed over the truth, refilling the other girl's water.

"Oh, is she sick?"

"…yeah. I guess she _is_ sick." The singer nodded thoughtfully.

"Tori, don't lie to me…" Cat warned, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm not lying to you…it's just…I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to say right now." She tiptoed around her words carefully. Cat's eyes widened.

"Is she mad at me?" She asked, full of fear and trepidation.

"No!" Tori quickly corrected, shaking her head adamantly. "Not at all. It's not you at all, Cat. She's just having some issues right now."

"Well…if you see her will you tell her I miss her?" The redhead pleaded.

"She'll be back as soon as she can." Tori reassured, patting her hand. "I gotta get back. Sorry, I'll be back later." She picked up her bag and smiled apologetically, before slipping out the door.

* * *

"How is she?" Jade muttered. They were sitting in a history class as interesting as drying paint and the Goth was fidgeting.

"Fine. She says she missed you this morning." Tori mumbled back, eyes glued to her notes; not seeing a thing. "How much caffeine have you had today?"

"Not that much." The Goth immediately replied quietly, quivering in her seat.

"How much sleep have you had?"

"Not that much."

"Jesus, Jade." The singer breathed, shaking her head slightly.

"I said not that much caffeine." Jade whined under her breath.

"You have four cups _minimum_ every day." Tori hissed. "I mean, would it kill you to have a cup of tea?"

"Maybe." The Goth grinned to herself, flipping a pen around her fingers. Solemnly, she asked. "But she's doing okay, right?"

"I still think you should tell her the truth." Tori shrugged, tapping her pen against her teeth and trying to look interested in what was being projected onto the wall in front of them. "I mean, physically she's fine. I just feel like she really wants _you_ there." The singer emphasized.

"I just don't want her to think it's her fault." The Goth grumbled quietly. "We've talked about this already."

"Yep, and I think she thinks it's her fault you're not there. You should tell her so she doesn't feel bad." The singer doodled idly in her notebook, giving up on taking notes altogether.

"I can't." Jade stilled, finally looking at the other girl.

"Why not?" Tori asked, glancing quickly at the pale girl.

"I'm scared." Jade said hoarsely, fear rising in her throat. Discretely, the singer grabbed her hand.

"I'll go with you. We can do it together. You'll be fine." She reassured, squeezing the Goth's hand quickly before grabbing her pen again.

"Fine. We'll go after school." Jade acquiesced reluctantly.


	5. Chapter 5

"You go in first." Jade muttered. The two girls were standing outside the door to Cat's room. Tori shot the other girl a look of disgust.

"You go in. You're the one who needs to talk to her so badly." The singer shoved at the Goth.

"You go in and butter her up so my thing doesn't sound so bad." Jade explained, gently pushing the half-Latina towards the door.

"How about you both come in so I can have actual people in here? I haven't seen people in, like, forever." A hoarse voice called out, muffled by the door. The two girls looked at each other accusingly and huffed. Tori pushed open the door and strode in first.

"Sorry. Jade's being a big baby." The singer set down her bag and leaned down to give the redhead a gentle hug, laying a soft kiss on her forehead. The redhead giggled delightedly. "How're you doing?"

"It's so boring here, Tor!" She whined, sighing discontentedly. Tori smiled, amused.

"Well…it's your lucky day, cause I brought Jade!" The singer flourished her hands at the Goth standing next to her, looking much less amused with her arms crossed.

"Yay, Jade!" The redhead stuck her arms out for a hug. The Goth rolled her eyes and sighed, exasperated. "Pleease?" Cat pleaded, wiggling her arms. Finally, Jade stomped her foot.

"Fine." The raven-haired girl shuffled next to the bed and gave the girl a quick hug.

"I'm…gonna go get Dr. Daniels." Tori gave Jade a quick smile and then made to leave.

"No." The Goth growled and snagged her wrist as she turned. "You're staying for this." Tori winced, rubbing her wrist.

"Why? I've already heard this…" The singer sighed, slumping into a chair by the window. "Fine. Whatever." She crossed her arms. Jade stared at Tori for a couple of seconds, and then turned to the redhead.

"Okay." The Goth blew out a breath and raked a hand through her hair. "You can do this." She muttered under her breath. "Okay." Finally, clear, green eyes looked up and into the redhead's brown ones. "First of all, I want to apologize. For not being here. This morning. And for…leaving. Last night." The actor paused, then took a deep breath. "This is really hard." She turned to look at Tori, who, in turn, quirked a eyebrow. The Goth rolled her eyes and huffed, pacing. "Look. I know this isn't an excuse…I just…" _Couldn't stick around because I couldn't emotionally handle your trauma? Couldn't handle the pain I was feeling for you? Pathetic._ Jade found the thoughts sneaking into her mind, and she closed her eyes, locking away her disappointment and self-hatred. After what seemed like an eternity, Tori spoke.

"What Jade wants to say is that she was taking your being in the hospital a bit hard last night, because she blamed herself for it." The singer spoke gently, rising to place a reassuring hand on the Goth's shoulder. Jade took a deep breath, and opened her eyes. "But I really think you should explain the rest." The singer turned to the paler girl, who nodded her gratitude, then turned to the redhead again, taking yet another deep breath to settle the anxiety a little.

"I have anxiety. And I'm depressed. So sometimes, certain things will trigger me. And when I saw you having your nightmare last night, I just…" The Goth's voice broke on the last word, and she covered her mouth with one hand, looking away. Her lip locked firmly under her teeth, she bit down to keep the emotions from surfacing. When she looked up again, the little redhead was smiling serenely, her arms wide open. With a sob, Jade slowly walked over and sat next to the smaller girl, crying into her shoulder while the redhead wrapped her arms around her.

"Well…looks like we don't need Tori here. So I'm just gonna…go get Dr. Daniels now…" Smiling awkwardly, the tanned girl slipped out the door. After a while, the Goth lifted her head, wiping tears off her face, reaching for some tissues and cleaning up the running makeup on her face. The redhead gestured to the tissues, so Jade pulled off her boots and sat, cross-legged, on the bed, handing the girl the tissues and her makeup bag. Carefully, Cat dabbed away the ruined makeup and reapplied the Goth's makeup just the way she liked it.

"Wait, you're left-handed?" Jade questioned, noticing that the redhead's right arm was in a cast.

"Nope." Cat's brow was furrowed in concentration, the tip of her tongue poking out between her teeth. "Hold on, I'm gonna redo your eyeshadow."

"How…"

"Jade! If I do my left eye with my left hand it just looks better!" Cat rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows that." The redhead shot her a condescending look. "Duh." She added, as an afterthought.

"I have…never done that before in my life." The Goth admitted, shoving her makeup back into its pouch and holding up her phone to check the redhead's work. "Damn. Your eyeliner is just…damn." She whistled, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'm awesome." Cat shrugged, smiling brightly. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah…is this…brown?" She pointed at her eyelid, an eyebrow raised.

"I don't know…I think it's like, taupe. I like it. It brings out your pretty, pretty eyes." The redhead grinned, teasing a little. Slipping her phone back into her pocket, the Goth eased back onto the bed beside the other girl. The redhead carefully traced a finger over the cuff adorning the raven-haired girl's left wrist. Warm, brown eyes met fearful emerald ones inquiringly. Taking a deep breath, the Goth nodded sharply. The cuff fell onto the bedspread, leaving warm fingers around the pale girl's cold, trembling wrist. A small thumb traced the slashes gently, bright red against porcelain skin. When the singer spoke again, Jade let out a breath she didn't know she'd be holding. "You wanna know what I think?" She nodded, hesitantly. "I think sometimes it hurts too much on the inside. And we need to do something to help us get it out." Brown eyes stared directly into Jade's. "But don't you _ever_ think that you're not important. Because you're important to me." Cat said, adamantly. "No matter how sad you get, Jade, you can always talk to someone. Just…I would be really sad if you died. So try not to, 'kay?"

"'Kay." Jade whispered harshly, blinking away tears. "I promise I'll try."

"Love you, babygirl." The redhead smiled at the Goth.

"Love you more." Jade whispered, laying a gentle kiss on Cat's forehead before sitting back down in her chair to wait for Tori to return. Just as she was about to text the singer, the door opened.

"Hey, guys. Sorry it took a little long, I was with a patient." The blonde looked distressed, reaching up to tie her hair into a sloppy ponytail. "Oh, shit. I mean…crap. Sorry." She dashed out to snag her clipboard from the reception desk down the hall. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, the doctor re-entered the room with the clipboard. "So…which one of you is Cat Valentine?" The blonde joked, a pretty smile adorning her face once more. The redhead giggled quietly.

"Me!" Her hand shot up enthusiastically. "Also, you have really pretty hair."

"Thanks, you too! I like your colour." The psychiatrist smiled, before taking a seat at the foot of the bed. The redhead smiled and touched her hair. "I'm Kate. These two insist on calling me Dr. Daniels, which is why I always looked annoyed around them."

"You _do_ look annoyed a lot." Jade remarked, her head tilted to the side. "And now we know why!" The singer and the Goth high-fived, the paler girl mock-enthusiastic.

"Anyway." The psychiatrist looked down at her clipboard, sobering up quickly. "Serious time. How are you feeling right now, Cat?"

"Ummm…I feel a little better." The redhead said thoughtfully, wiggling her arms and legs. "The doctor said I was healing faster than normal, so I guess that's good?"

"That's good. That's what it says here on my copy, too. Okay, before we start talking, do you mind that Jade and Tori are in the room with you, or do you want them to leave? They know the drill, they'll leave if you say so." The blonde looked up from her clipboard at Cat.

"No, that's okay. I like having them here. And they can listen." Cat nodded.

"Okay, then. So, do you want to tell me what happened?" The blonde asked gently, putting aside the clipboard to look at the redhead. The girl sighed.

"What's there to talk about? I mean, it's pretty obvious what happened to me." Cat sounded defeated, leaning back against her pillows.

"Actually, initially, having only looked at the doctor's report, I thought you'd been in a car accident." The redhead looked up.

"Really?"

"Yeah." The blonde nodded truthfully. There was a long silence, before the redhead took a deep breath.

"Well, my daddy beat me." She got out forcefully, blinking rapidly. There was silence. "He came home drunk, as usual. And I guess my brother was having a hard time getting to bed or something. I was sitting in my room, doing my homework, and he barged in." The details were laid out very cleanly, in a detached tone of voice. Next to the window, Jade shivered.

"And was this the first time this had happened?" The psychiatrist inquired further, never pushing too hard.

"No. He's been doing it since I was ten." The redhead laid out. There was a hiss from Jade, and a soft sound of anguish from Tori.

"Wow." The blonde shook her head sadly. "Well, I promise you we'll do everything we can to stop it from happening ever again." Cat looked up hopefully.

"Really?"

"Really." The doctor nodded, her ponytail bouncing. After another hour and a half of talking, the psychiatrist made a diagnosis. "I'm going to go ahead and diagnose you with chronic depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. But these are just labels. I don't want you to think of yourself as a depressed kid or a kid with PTSD, okay? I'll prescribe some medication for you." The blonde jotted down on her clipboard. "But I don't want you to think of those things separately, for now. I want you to take the medication and tell me how you feel altogether, not how the individual symptoms are improving yet, okay? Can you do that?"

"I think so." The redhead nodded slowly. There was a stark silence as the doctor jotted down some more notes and took out a pad to scribble down the prescription. Finally, she looked up and handed the prescription to Jade.

"So, I'm gonna ask you to pick this up for Cat, since she can't do it herself right now." Jade nodded, grabbing her keys and her bag. "Is that okay, Cat?"

"Yeah, thanks, Jade." She smiled tremulously at the Goth as she and the singer waved to the redhead and headed out. The blonde caught the smile and placed a soothing hand on Cat's knee.

"You're gonna be just fine. Don't worry." The doctor reassured the girl.

"I just don't know what I'm gonna do after I leave here." Cat sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

"We'll figure it out, just like Jade, Tori and I figured that one out together." The doctor smiled at the look on the girl's face. "We will. I promise." As she headed towards the door, the redhead spoke.

"Dr. Daniels?"

"Kate." The blonde corrected, turning around. "What is it?"

"Thanks." The redhead finally smiled.

"Anytime, Cat."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Definitely let me know if you like where this is going, so far. I love hearing from people who read my stuff, and have something to say.**

* * *

Despite Jade's insistence, Tori decided that it was about time for her to stay with Cat overnight, and the little redhead agreed.

"You need some time to yourself, Jade." Tori had said, nodding her head towards the door.

"Yeah, Jade. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." The smaller girl giggled, frowning when she saw the sadness suddenly flood the pale girl's eyes.

"It's not funny." The Goth's eyes squinted as they threatened to fill with tears again. Sighing, she looked at the two girls. "Fine." The redhead held her arms out, giving Jade an expectant look. The raven-haired girl strode over and gave the smaller girl a quick hug. "Love you, babygirl." She whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Love you more." The redhead beamed, waving as Jade grabbed her bag and her car keys.

"Call me, if anything's wrong." The paler girl narrowed her eyes at Tori. "Especially with you."

"There's nothing wrong with me." The singer shot a panicked look at the Goth.

"Right." Jade rolled her eyes. "Just call me."

"I will. Get out of here, West." Tori huffed, crossing her arms.

"Bye, Cat."

"Bye!"

* * *

Later that night, Tori was finishing up her homework on her computer, long fingers tapping away rhythmically at the keys, when the redhead's head suddenly popped up to study the singer. After a long couple of minutes, the half-Latina became aware of the brown eyes boring into her skull.

"Can I…help you…?" Tori asked, warily keeping her eyes on the redhead.

"Question." The redhead said simply, before a thoughtful expression settled across her face. "Why did Jade say there was something wrong with you?"

"No reason. Jade's always saying that. It's just a dumb joke." The singer shrugged, effortlessly slipping into the lie.

"Really?" Brown eyes stared intensely at Tori's facial expressions, tracking them.

"Yep." The singer confirmed easily, before returning her attention to her computer. "You wanna watch a movie after I'm done here?" There was a short silence, before Cat's brow straightened and she spoke.

"Yeah. That would be fun!" She nodded enthusiastically, keeping a careful eye on the singer.

* * *

Tori sighed in relief as she settled back in her chair, keeping an eye on the slumbering redhead. She hadn't wanted to explain her illness to the smaller girl just yet, and it was just like Jade to let slip that Tori wasn't exactly normal. _I guess Jade noticed I've had appointments here a little more often than usual._ The singer thought to herself, shaking her head slowly. The Goth wasn't wrong. Tori _had_ been hearing the voices, albeit very quietly, again, and she _had_ been very suicidal the last couple of weeks. This, however, had to have been set aside to take care of Cat. Rolling up her sleeve, amber eyes slid over the wounds, all in various states of healing. She sighed, sadness tugging rhythmically at her heart again as she remembered what Cat had said about her mother. _She just stood by and let it happen, just like _my_ mom._ The singer's eyes welled with tears. It was four months after Jade had taken her in and her parents still hadn't contacted her. Swiping angrily at her tears, she shook her head. _Pull yourself together You're such a loser._ She jumped as a voice stood out suddenly, and she shook her head again, settling her nerves.

"Just keep it together for a couple of hours." Tori muttered to herself. "Jade and Dr. Daniels will be back soon." As much as she hated herself for relying on the two for her sanity, she needed to; they were the only two people who understood her right now. The singer was suddenly knocked out of her thoughts by screams, and when she looked over, she saw that the Cat was in the middle of another nightmare. Unsure as to what she should do, she grabbed the other girl's hands and tried to calm her down.

"Cat, wake up, it's just a dream! You're in the hospital. You're not home. Cat! Cat!" The singer head snapped the to the side as the redhead's flailing fist connected with the side of her face. "That's it." Tori scrambled onto the bed and gripped the girl's forearms, shaking her gently. With a scream, the redhead's eyes snapped open and dilated pupils met frantic amber eyes. "Cat." Tori breathed, loosening her hold on the small girl's arms and collapsing over the other girl in relief. The singer's forehead rested on the other girl's abdomen, and she could feel the redhead still panting, her heart racing with fear. When she looked up again, Cat had looked away, silent tears streaming down her face. Sitting up, Tori toed off her sneakers and shuffled to the opposite end of the bed, keeping her eyes on the girl. Silence blanketed the room, broken only by the whimpers and sobs every now and again from the smaller girl. After Cat had calmed down a little, the singer spoke quietly. "I know what it's like, you know." The redhead looked up, watery eyes meeting hooded amber ones, the singer's eyes full of a darkness she usually kept pushed down.

"To have nightmares?" Cat's voice wavered, hoarse from crying.

"To be so lost in your memories and your head sometimes you can't separate them from reality." The half-Latina let out, finally revealing herself to the redhead. Cat gaped at her.

"B-but…" Astonished at the spot-on description, the redhead was stunned speechless. After a moment of silence, she gathered up her scattered thoughts and sobered up. "You never did tell us why you were in the hospital."

"I was…scared that you wouldn't like me anymore." Tori's voice cracked with unshed tears. The singer looked away for a moment, to compose herself. The redhead spoke right away.

"I would never do that." Cat was quick to reassure her. "I like almost everybody!"

"That's it, though isn't it? You like everybody. What if I turned out to be the one person you don't like?" Tori looked at her hands, fiddling with her sleeve.

"You won't. Now tell me why you understand." Cat crossed her arms, as much as could with the bulky cast. Tori sighed, and looked to the ceiling.

"I'm schizophrenic. I hear voices in my head all the time. And it's hard, sometimes, because they're not always nice. My parents used to lock me in my room to not have to deal with me. I guess it was a hassle to have a daughter who always talked to herself. Four months ago, Jade brought me to this hospital. And now, four months later, my parents still haven't called. They haven't come to visit me. The only family who's talked to me is Trina. And she only does it when it's necessary." Tori said flatly, her eyes dulling from the clear amber they were before. The singer sighed, before getting off the bed to fall into her chair, destitute and despondent.

"You look like Jade. Your eyes." Cat remarked quietly, the singer's words having struck her deeply. They were more alike than the redhead had initially imagined. Tori's eyes snapped up at her words, before looking away slowly.

"Yeah. I think that's why we've gotten along so well since I've moved in with her." The half-Latina rubbed her sleeve unconsciously, a nervous habit. The redhead studied her for a moment, head tilted to the side.

"You don't have to hide from me. Or be nervous. I promise I won't judge you." Cat soothed, sitting up in the bed. After a short, thoughtful pause, she spoke again. "Jade's always tryna protect me from the dark, you know? But she doesn't really get it. I won't let it consume me like she did. Our personalities are just really different." She shook her head, smiling a little. "You're in between us, Tor. Jade doesn't hide that she's dark, and I don't hide who I am. But you have dark _and_ light. And sometimes I can see you hiding the dark." Cat's words spilled out, having watched Tori for a while.

"I think if I didn't, people wouldn't get it." Tori sighed, shaking her head sadly.

"Like some people don't get me or Jade?" Cat asked simply. "It doesn't matter who you are, Tor. There's always gonna be people who like you." The redhead laced their fingers together. "Like me and Jade." The redhead looked thoughtful. "It's probably a lot of work, hiding who you are all the time." The singer nodded mutely, looking helplessly up at the redhead. "Then don't." She said simply, flashing her dimples.

"I wish it were that simple, Cat." Tori sighed, squeezing the redhead's hand gently.

"The only thing holding you back is yourself. That's always the hardest part." Cat grinned, patting the singer's hand.

"When'd you get so smart?" The singer joked half-heartedly, setting her chin in her palm. The redhead shrugged.

"Well, maaaaybe you should've _listened_ to me before." The redhead rolled her eyes and pushed the words out in her high-pitched voice.

"You're right. But haven't I been such a great listener these past couple of weeks?" The singer consoled, her smile slowly slipping off her face as she took in the bandages and casts that Cat was in.

"What?" The smaller singer blinked, peering at Tori.

"Nothing." The Latina shook her head and blinked rapidly.

"Tor…" The bed-ridden redhead narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on the other girl's hand.

"Fine. I just…I never got the chance to say I'm sorry before." The singer wouldn't meet the other girl's eyes. "I'm sorry. I should've offered to…take you away from that house sooner." There was a short silence, before Cat laughed quietly. "What?" Tori looked up, confused.

"I just find it a little funny. Everybody in this room earlier thought it was their fault that I was here. Including me." The redhead exhaled and laid her head back onto the pillow. "It's hard."

"I know it is." Tori nodded, squeezing her hand again. "But you can do it." The redhead's eyes flickered over the singer. "You can. We'll be here to help you."

"I believe you."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry about the delay. I'm an idiot. There's no excuse. Anyway, enjoy this chapter. As always, leave a review; I love 'em. And you. **

* * *

A couple more weeks in the hospital under the observation of Dr. Daniels eventually culminated in Cat's ejection. At Jade's insistence, once again Melissa Kane found herself signing the forms to allow her daughter's friend to stay at their residence, to avoid the abusive circumstances she suffered in her own. It was later in the night, when Cat had been settled in the guest room, that the older woman sat down with her daughter.

"I know that it's been a difficult couple of weeks, but I need to say this really seriously, Jade. I don't know how many more of your friends I can have here." Jade's mother spoke frankly, but broke the news gently.

"I know." Jade buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I've been booking a couple of jobs, and so has Tori. Believe me, I know this is hard."

"Honey, it's not that I don't want them here. I love having them over, but I don't know if I can financially support them for much longer." Melissa grasped the younger girl's hand gently. The Goth looked up earnestly.

"We're working something out, mom. I swear. Tori, Cat and I can pay for groceries and stuff, so you don't have to. Between the three of us, we won't have to book too many things either. So it'll work out." Jade explained, peering at her mother. "Tori hasn't been paying for her meds with your money, and neither is Cat. So if it's still too bad, I can pay for my meds myself."

"There are certain things that I can do. I don't need you guys to pay rent or groceries or anything, but I will admit that it will help tons if you guys pay for your own medication." Melissa admitted uncomfortably.

"Then we'll do it." Jade said simply, crossing her arms. "It's super difficult supporting three teenage girls, I know." She smiled ruefully. "Especially since we shop every now and again."

"I love you." Melissa smiled, opening her arms. Her daughter shrugged, and walked into them.

"We love you, too." Jade smiled, tightening her arms around her mother.

* * *

"What'd she say?" The redhead shot up from where she had been slumped on the bed previously, staring at the Goth with rapt attention.

"She said it'll be difficult, but if we book some jobs and pay for our own meds we'll be fine." Jade said vaguely, frowning distractedly.

"I can so do that." Cat nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the raven-haired girl, who walked over to the armchair and sat down slowly, lost in her thoughts. After a minute, the redhead spoke again, hesitantly. "Jade?" She looked up at the sound of her name. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah, what's up, Jade? You look a little out of it." Tori turned in the swivel chair to face the girl, concerned.

"It's…nothing." Pale hands rubbed at tired eyes, head leaned against the chair.

"This…doesn't look like nothing." The singer pried gently, glancing at Cat, who nodded encouragingly. The Goth pushed out a lungful of air forcefully, then inhaled deeply.

"I just...I feel bad for my mom." The words barely made their way to the girls, muffled by porcelain hands. "It doesn't have anything to do with you guys. I just feel bad."

"We're sorry we're making this so hard for the both of you." Cat apologized, looking dejectedly down at her hands.

"It's not you, I swear." Jade shook her head, squinting with exhaustion. "It's not you."

"You sure?" Tori asked, concerned. "Cause we can definitely rent another place somewhere else."

"Yeah, no. My mother would definitely never go for that." The Goth shook her head again, grimacing. "It's definitely not you guys. She loves having you here." Jade nodded. "So what did Sikowitz say that homework was again?" The two girls looked at each other, before shrugging and changing the subject.

* * *

"I mean, what if she doesn't actually love me and she was just pretending?" Cat asked her two roommates, hysterically, a couple of days later. She had been afraid, ever since she'd been admitted into the hospital, that her mother would never talk to her again. After two weeks of radio silence from her family, the doubt was starting to creep in. "What if they both just really wanted me out of the house or something?" Lost for words and wanting an answer herself, Tori just stared at the Goth helplessly. There was silence in the room, broken only by the redhead's hysterical sobbing, and it was a long time before Jade spoke.

"I think…that there's no way your mother wouldn't…at least be…grateful." She spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. Slowly, Cat lifted her head to look at Jade. "From what you've told us, I think she's very grateful she had you. But…I think that maybe things aren't…okay the way you left them. So she's probably still in some…trouble." Jade spoke diplomatically, tiptoeing around any potential triggers. "So I don't think you should assume that she doesn't love you. It may just be that she…can't call you right now." At the Goth's words, Cat's eyes welled up again. With a concerned look, Tori hopped onto the bed next to her and wrapped her arms around the little singer, and Cat cried into her shoulder.

"It's okay, Cat. You're okay. We got you." The Latina murmured.

* * *

So it came as a surprise a couple of days later when Tori got a text from the redhead while she was at school. The smaller singer had opted for another week at home to make sure everything had fully healed before returning to school. The text in question stated cheerfully that Cat's mom wanted to meet at a small, unknown coffee shop that was in the worse parts of Jade's neighbourhood. After showing the text to the Goth, they both shrugged and texted back to call them if anything went wrong, returning their attention to what was being taught in their class.

* * *

"Okay, so do you think she'll be coming home for dinner?" Later that night, the Goth stood at the stove, stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce. The half-Latina glanced up briefly from the meatballs she was making.

"I don't know. She didn't call or text afterwards." She hesitated, before going on. "I…have a bad feeling about this."

"What, you don't like spaghetti?" Jade scoffed, placing a lid on the pot to let it simmer. The singer rolled her eyes.

"No. I meant about Cat." Tori set the finished meatballs aside, stepping over to the sink and avoiding the Goth's eyes. She busied herself with scrubbing her hands clean, trying to hide her trepidation. After a couple of minutes, Jade sighed.

"Do you think we should call her?" The Goth pulled out her phone, handing it to the singer, who quickly rinsed and dried her hands.

"I…yeah." Tori dialled the number and held the slim device to her ear. After getting voicemail, she dialled again. Furrowing her brow, she tapped out a text message, asking if the younger girl was okay. "She's not answering." Jade sighed again.

"Okay, here's the deal. If she's still not back by the time we finish dinner, then we go find her." The Goth dropped the meatballs in the sauce and put the lid back on. The singer nodded in a agreement, then set about washing the dishes. "I'm just gonna check and see if my mom's coming home for dinner. I'll be right back." With that, Jade exited the kitchen, leaving Tori with her thoughts. She sighed. _Let's be real, your bad feelings never really pan out anyway._ She thought to herself, shaking her head at her worry. _Yeah but if she dies it'll be your fault._ A voice added sinisterly. She jumped, before setting all the rinsed dishes on a rack and looking around the kitchen. _That's right. We're back._ Another voice jumped out at her. She inhaled sharply, before taking a deep breath to settle herself. _Don't talk back to them, Tori. Don't do it._ She told herself, drying the counter with a dishtowel and keeping her hands busy. _You know we can hear you, right?_ She gripped the counter until her knuckles turned white, her eyes darting fearfully around the room. _Glad to see the stupidity hasn't changed since we left._ Tori's breathing increased, and anxiety churned in her stomach. She forced herself to walk over to the stove and check the meatballs, hands shaking. Turning down the burner, she opened a cabinet to grab a glass, trembling with fear and panic. As she went to pour herself a glass of water at the tap, she dropped the glass, and she screamed, dropping to the floor and covering her head with her arms, sobbing into her knees.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jade was up in her room, and she had barely hung up with her mom when she heard the glass shattering and the scream. Gasping, she ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, scanning the room for any sign of danger. When she looked over to the sink, she saw the shattered glass and reached over to turn off the water, before crouching in front of the shaking girl on the floor.

"Tori." She said calmly, not touching the girl. "Tori, it's me. Jade." The singer looked up, eyes streaming. "You're in my kitchen. It's okay." The Goth reached up to grab some tissues, handing them to the singer. The other girl dabbed at her eyes, and Jade walked over to snag another glass, pouring her a glass of water. Tori raised the glass to her lips and sipped slowly, taking a deep breath and calming herself. "What happened?" Jade asked, concerned, pulling the singer up and seating her at the dinner table.

"I don't know. One minute I was washing the dishes and worrying about Cat, and the next I was trying not to talk to the voices." Tori shook her head, burying her face in her hands. Jade stayed silent, rubbing the Latina's shoulder in reassurance.

"Let's eat. Then we can go get Cat." She spoke, walking to the kitchen.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm sorry this is taking so long; back to school is crazy for me. Not gonna make any excuses, just apologizing for how long this is taking. **

* * *

_They're right, you know. It'll be your fault if she's dead._ It was all Tori could think about in the car, with her head against the window. Rain pounded heavily against the car, but the singer could only stare blankly ahead, lost in thoughts. _You know they're right._ A stray tear slipped its way down her cheek, and she looked down, surprised when it landed on her thigh. Suddenly, Jade was gripping her arm.

"Tori!" She snapped, shaking the singer's arm slightly. "Zone out much?"

"S-s-sorry. What did you –"

"—I asked for Cat's address. I can't remember it off the top of my head." The Goth was exasperated. "You know what, never mind. I'll know it when I see it." Tori shook her head again to clear it, shaken.

"Um…it should be just up ahead." She gestured. "Yeah, take a left here."

"Yeah. Alright. I see it." The Goth nodded curtly, pulling up to the curb a couple of houses down.

"Why'd you stop here?" The singer was befuddled.

"So her loser dad doesn't destroy my car if he happens to be in a bad mood." Jade rolled her eyes and got out of the car. "Come on, dreamboat. Let's go." The Goth dragged Tori along with her, marching right up to the door and ringing the doorbell. There was scuffling, and what sounded like very faint crying, and then the door cracked open.

"Who is it?" A gruff voice came from behind the door. A man glared out suspiciously from the crack.

"Hi, I'm Tori. And this is Jade. We're looking for Cat cause…we..." Tori's voice trailed off.

"…need to finish a project that's due tomorrow and we're very behind. So how about you open the door and let us take Cat?" Jade finished her sentence rather aggressively, crossing her arms defiantly.

"No, Cat can't leave the house tonight, sorry." The man made to shut the door, but Jade shoved a boot between the door and the jamb.

"And I'm afraid I can't take no for an answer." The pale girl smirked derisively to his face. "Now open the door and let us talk to Cat." She said through clenched teeth. Tori placed a hand warningly on the other girl's arm. "What?" Jade hissed to her. The singer shook her head, lowering her head.

"Look. Cat can't leave the house. So whatever project you're doing you're going to have to do without her." The man yanked the door, trying to crush the Goth's foot. Jade narrowed her eyes.

"No, you look, mister. I don't care who the fuck you are, I am _not_ doing any more work than necessary. Lucky for you, I'm wearing steel-toed boots and have a high pain tolerance. So why don't you drop your little tough guy act and let me see my dear friend?" Jade wrenched the door from his hand, letting it swing open.

"Jade, no." Tori whimpered, scared for her life. She could see the anger boiling in the man's eyes.

"Who the _fuck_ do you think you are, you little shit?" The man's voice was deadly quiet, fists clenched at his sides. He was a good head taller than Jade, but the Goth refused to stand down.

"I thought we covered this already. She's Tori, and I'm Jade. Are you...a little slow?" A mocking grin spread across the raven-haired girl's face as she taunted him. The man roared, grabbing at her. Jade moved easily out of the way, side-stepping him to enter his house. "Oh look, now I'm in your house. CAT!" The Goth yelled, her voice projecting throughout the building. It was a moment, before the redhead slowly appeared around the corner.

"Whatti?" The petite singer had a black eye, her face was, once again, swollen, and she had her arms wrapped around her body, doubled over in pain. "Jade." She rasped, limping towards the Goth. "Daddy, no!" Jade whipped her head around, and was greeted with the sight of the redhead's father gripping Tori by the neck. The Latina gasped for air, her legs dangling as she tried to kick the man.

"Get in the car, Cat." Jade muttered, handing her the keys. Edging slowly around her father, the redhead scurried as fast as her injuries would allow her, practically diving into the car. Turning around, Jade faced the man. There was a loud choking noise as Tori gasped again. "Listen, Mr. Valentine. I know you don't want to hurt Tori. So why don't you let her go, and we won't call the police." The Goth wiggled the phone in front of his eyes. There was a short silence, then a sadistic grin spread across the man's face.

"You're wrong. I _do_ want to hurt Tori." Chuckling, he threw Tori to the ground. The singer cried out as she hit the grass, hard, landing on her back. Roaring, Jade pounced, grabbing the man's legs and tackling him to the ground. Sitting on his abdomen, she reached into her boot and pulled out a pair of scissors, pressing the tip into the flesh of his neck.

"Give me another reason." She hissed, applying pressure. He grunted as the tip dug into his throat. "Just give me another goddamned, fucking reason and I swear I'll do it." She breathed. Slowly, he put his hands out in surrender. "That's what I thought. After I get up, you do _not_ follow me, or these scissors go straight into your neck. I'm sure you don't want me to demonstrate how accurately I can throw a blade. Do you hear me?" Jade asked, laying out her terms. Cat's father nodded slowly, and Jade got up, keeping the tip trained on him, never turning her back. She helped Tori up carefully and walked backwards to the car, always watching him. He waited until they got into the car, then slowly shuffled back into the house.

"You okay, Tor?" Jade started the car and quickly drove away, heading straight for the hospital.

"Yeah, I don't think anything's broken." The singer winced, taking a quick inventory again.

"What about you, Cat?" The Goth called to the girl in the backseat. "Cat?" She called again, when there was no reply. "Shit." Jade slammed her foot down on the accelerator and sped towards the hospital.

* * *

"It was a good thing you got her here when you did." The doctor shook his head as he scribbled on his clipboard. "It looks like Ms. Valentine's got a severe concussion this time, as well as four broken ribs, a spiral fracture in her left forearm, and a crushed trachea. I also iced her bruised jaw and stitched up some wounds on her hands from broken glass. There was also some internal bleeding in the abdomen, nothing serious enough to require surgery, and I've set two broken fingers. As for Ms. Vega, it looks like she'll be fine. We checked for any broken bones and there weren't any, so it looks like she's got a sprained wrist and a bruised back. You can go in to see Ms. Valentine, but I think I'm going to call the police, Ms. West." The doctor shook his head again, turning to get to the receptionist.

"Wait!" Jade grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. He turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Let me do it." She said sombrely, pulling out her phone. "Thanks for fixing them up, doc." She smiled sadly, before dialling the number of the local police station. After a brief conversation with a detective that was friends with her mom, she made her way into Cat's room. Tori was sitting at her bedside, her right arm folded close to her body. "Hey." Jade murmured, leaning against the doorjamb. The singer smiled, and her eyes flickered across the Goth's face, before she frowned.

"What's up?" Tori made to get up, but Jade waved her back into her seat. The actress made her way over to the bed and sat down in a chair beside Tori. "Hey." A warm hand slipped into hers and the Goth looked up. "None of this is your fault." Jade sighed, and leaned her head back tiredly.

"I should've done all of this earlier." The Goth huffed, frustrated.

"Jade. Look at me." Tori said firmly letting go of her hand. "Jade." Sighing, emerald eyes lifted, staring into amber ones. "It's not your fault the man beat Cat. It's not your fault he threw me across his yard. It's all _his_ fault. None of this is your fault. Do you understand?" Jade surveyed her for a while, head tilted, before finally nodding and letting her eyes slide over to the redhead occupying the bed.

"Is she…"

"Doctor says she'll be okay in a couple of days, she just needs to rest right now." The singer reassured, shifting uncomfortably. "Meanwhile, you should maybe call your mom and tell her where we are." The actress nodded, before slipping from the room again to make another call. Tori sighed, leaning back to find a less painful position to sit in. After observing Cat for a little bit, she spoke. "I hope you know that we're sorry we came too late. And that Jade and I will never let your dad come near you again." She murmured, looking dejectedly at her friend.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Last chapter. Thanks for sticking with me, guys. I know this one took a little bit to churn out, but I hope you like it. Leave a review if you have any suggestions for one-shots, or message me. Remember, you're never alone. If you're suffering from depression, domestic abuse or anything of the sort, there's always help to be found. Always talk to someone. **

* * *

It was a couple of weeks before they talked to Cat again. The redhead slept constantly because of the medication the doctors put her on to help with the healing process, and even when she was awake, Cat was never alert enough to carry a conversation with them. Dr. Daniels convinced the two girls to stay out of the hospital for a week, until Cat was a little more ready to have visitors. Still, it wasn't easy for Jade and Tori to be away, and the singer found herself in a state of constant anxiety, even though she knew there were police officers standing outside of Cat's room. It didn't escape Jade's notice that Tori had become more withdrawn, only speaking when spoken to. So it was with concern that the Goth and her mother sat Tori down after dinner one night, before the brunette could escape.

"Tori, what's going on?" Melissa asked gently, reaching across the table to grasp the younger girl's hand with concern splashed across her face. The singer frowned, staring intently at the wood grain of the table, not looking up.

"Tor, we're just worried. You've been a little…distant lately." Jade tiptoed carefully around the subject, trying to pry considerately. There was short silence as the singer blinked rapidly, before speaking.

"I know I keep saying it's her dad's fault, but…I just…" Tori hesitated, not sure how much to reveal. Taking a deep breath, she jumped in. "I just keep feeling like if I'd let someone know earlier she wouldn't…she w-wouldn't be in the h-hospital." The singer broke down, sobbing through her words. Melissa tsked, and shook her head, making her way over to Tori and kneeling beside her chair, pulling the younger girl into comforting arms as she cried.

"Shh…it's okay. Tori, this is _not_ your fault at all."

"I know…" The singer sobbed. "But I f-feel all this…w-weight, like –"

"—like eventually someone will realize that it's your fault and you're a fraud." Jade spoke quietly, observing the hysterical brunette with hooded eyes. Tori looked up, blinking.

"How did you…"

"It's exactly the way I felt when _you_ were in the hospital." The raven-haired girl muttered, rubbing hands over her face. She covered her face briefly with her hands, then looked up. "It doesn't matter how many times you hear it, Tor. Unless you believe it, you'll never get rid of that weight."

"How can I?" The singer whispered, burying her face in her hands.

"You stop avoiding the therapist." Jade said, dryly. "And you talk about _this_ with her."

"It's too soon…" Tori murmured. "I can't."

"Well, then you're going to feel like this for a while." The Goth gave it to her straight, refusing to cut any corners. Her mother shot her a look. Jade shook her head. "There's no shortcut, Tor. You're gonna have to do it the hard way or live with feeling guilty for a while." The words hung in the air, almost taunting Tori. Just when Melissa thought her daughter had been too harsh, Tori spoke again.

"You're right." She muttered, eyes on the table. "I _have_ been avoiding her. But I'll go. If only to get rid of this god-awful feeling and these voices." The Goth sighed.

"Look, I may have been a little harsh. But you can't expect your medication to be a magic pill." Jade's voice softened.

"Tori, look at me." Melissa finally spoke. The singer raised her eyes. "Like every illness, you're going to have to put in a lot of time and work to get better. Jade and I learned the hard way that pills don't always fix everything. And they're not always the answer to everything, either." The singer stilled, then nodded.

"You're right. I'll go talk to her."

* * *

"You were right." Tori spoke into a previously comfortable silence. The girls had been finishing up assignments after dinner a couple of weeks following the confrontation from Jade and her mother.

"About?" Jade threw out absent-mindedly, closing her notebook and tucking it back into her bag. The Goth spun to observe Tori, who was stretched out on the bed, eyes trained on the ceiling.

"Talking about it." Jade's head cocked, and she observed the Latina. She stayed silent, prompting the singer to elaborate. "It helped that I talked to someone. The guilt was a big trigger. That's why I started hearing voices again." The raven-haired girl narrowed her eyes, pondering.

"I'm visiting Cat tomorrow," she said after a short silence. "If you feel up to it, you should come. The doctors say she'll be talking and stuff."

"I'd like that." Tori nodded gratefully.

* * *

"Jade!" The tiny redhead rasped as soon as she saw the Goth walk through the door. Her arms shot out automatically, a deliriously happy grin stretching across her face.

"Hey, babygirl." She dropped her bag and gave the girl a quick squeeze. "How're you feeling?"

"A lil' loopy." The goofy grin gave away that the younger girl was still on some pain medication. "But I'm feelin' pree good." Her words were a little slurred, but she smiled, ecstatic to see her friends. "Where ya been, Jade? I missed you." Cat pulled the Goth down to sit next to her on the bed. The taller girl kicked off her boots and folded her legs under her.

"The doctor kicked us out. She said to let you get better first." Jade explained. "But we're back now…"

"I did _not_ kick you out. Don't listen to her, Cat." The psychiatrist walked in, clipboard in hand.

"Uh, _yeah_ you did." Tori followed her in, walking over to greet the redhead. "Hey. How're you doing?" She brushed her lips gently over Cat's forehead.

"Better." The petite singer smiled up at the brunette, squeezing her hand in greeting.

"No, I didn't." The doctor took a quick inventory of the orange pill bottles beside the bed, scribbling on her clipboard.

"Yeah, you did, Dr. Daniels." Jade crossed her arms, smirking. "I remember you distinctly saying 'Cat needs to get better. You guys need to leave.'" The Goth pitched her voice extra high to imitate the doctor.

"Okay, first of all, I don't talk like that." Dr. Daniels gave the girl a pointed look. "And second of all, I remember suggesting that you guys come back this week because Cat was on some pretty heavy pain medication."

"Aw, Dr. Daniels, you told them to leave?" The redhead pouted at the psychiatrist. The Goth laughed triumphantly.

"No, Cat, I told them to give you some time to get better." The redhead frowned for a minute, then smiled again.

"Oh. That's okay then!" The sunny disposition chased the frown off her face.

"Anyway. You kids have fun." The blonde smiled before closing the door quietly behind her.

"Did you talk to her about…talking to people?" Jade asked Tori, cryptically. The brunette nodded discretely.

"So whatcha been doing?" Cat asked, eyes flitting between her two friends.

"Oh, Sikowitz had us write a scene from a screenplay this week. Totally out of context. Super weird. And he like gave us weird props to include?" Tori rolled her eyes. "I want to spend a day in that man's head."

"…really?" Cat raised her eyebrows. "Even I don't want to spend a day in Sikowitz's head." The three girls laughed, in agreement with the redhead's spot-on statement.

"Hey, listen. I need to go talk to Kate for a quick minute. Just remembered I forgot to ask her something." She stood, placing a hand on the redhead's arm. "I'll be right back." With that, the half-Latina turned and left, carefully shutting the door behind her.

"So, how are you really doing?" The Goth tilted her head to stare at the redhead, eyes narrowed. "And don't tell me you're doing better, or you're fine, because your eyes have not stopped looking towards the door since we got here." The singer fidgeted nervously, squirming uneasily in the bed. "Cat, whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm here for you. Heck, all of us are here for you." Jade prompted gently, sitting back in her chair. The other girl sighed, then sat up, eyes searching the Goth's face before she spoke.

"I'm scared." She said, softly, reaching up to brush invisible strands of hair from her face. "I know there are police officers outside the door and that everyone's looking for him, but it doesn't make it any less scary that he could still randomly appear in my room, you know?" She mumbled, shaking her head at her own worries.

"Are you still getting the nightmares you were telling me about last time?" The actor asked quietly, eyes trained her friend's face. Cat nodded, eyes fixed on her hands.

"Except now they're worse cause he comes after you guys. And I don't want y-you to get h-hurt, either." Her words were fragmented by sobs, as tears spilled from her eyes. Jade sighed, motioning for the smaller girl to move over, climbing onto the bed and pulling her into her arms.

"They'll get him, I promise. And we can take care of ourselves. You just worry about getting better, alright? Does it help now that Kate has some meds for you and stuff?" The redhead nodded, face buried in Jade's shoulder. "It'll be okay, Cat. Everything's gonna be fine." The Goth soothed, but she couldn't help but to wonder how long it was going to take for Cat to finally feel safe again.

* * *

It wasn't until two weeks later that they got news. Tori was sprawled on the bed, flicking through reading material on her computer while Jade scribbled in her notebook, soft music playing in the background, and rain pounding on the roof above them. Suddenly, Melissa burst into the room.

"Mom." Jade jumped, thoroughly surprised. Her mother always knocked before entering the room, knowing how much a stickler her daughter was for privacy. "What's up?"

"They caught him. Cat's dad. Trying to slip past guards outside her room." The older woman clutched her phone in her hand. "Brandon just called me." Tori jumped up, snagging a jacket.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We gotta go see Cat." The singer dashed down the stairs. Shocked, Jade and her mother followed, running after the brunette.

* * *

They arrived to find the redhead hugging her knees, sobbing quietly. The police milled about, trying to take statements from the staff at the hospital, but the petite singer's father was nowhere to be seen. Jade jumped onto the bed, immediately pulling Cat into her arms, the latter sobbing painfully and hysterically into Jade's shoulder. Tori met Kate's eyes, who was trying desperately to finish giving her statement to check on the redhead. The singer nodded her reassurance, and the psychiatrist nodded back in gratitude, before returning her attention to the officer in front of her. The rest of the night became a blur of people to Tori, the tragedy weighing on the singer. It wasn't that they weren't happy that Mr Valentine had been arrested, but it didn't erase the fact that it _was_ Cat's dad who had been arrested. This didn't escape anybody's notice, and the redhead's crying broke everyone's heart. It was the pain of knowing you might never see your father again, but knowing you ought to be happy about it, because he was a monster. It wasn't something that Cat could come to terms with, and something Tori and Jade struggled to wrap their heads around. There was a deep, unsettling ache that settled in Tori's stomach, watching Cat cry for the father she loved, the one who had disappeared and been replaced by one who wasn't kind, never loved her. And she wondered how Cat could deal with being ripped apart like that, being torn between the man she knew her father could be, and the reality of who her father _was_. As her hand fumbled to wipe at her face, she found it damp with tears. Tori wondered if it was the lost innocence of her friend she was crying for, or if it was the reflection of lack of love she felt from her own parents. Pressing her hand over her mouth to hold in her sobs, she couldn't bring herself to comfort the redhead. Not when the sadness and the pain she felt from her friend mingled so similarly with her own. So the rest of the night was spent in that chair, watching Cat. And wondering how the redhead could piece her shattered life back together.


End file.
